Rick Baker Takes On Death and Monsters In First Solo Art Show
Rick Baker is a legendary figure in Hollywood Horror. His ground breaking work in Special Effects has earned him seven academy awards for Best Make-up while leaving a legion of movie-goers happily traumatized. His innovative realistic werewolf transformations in the John Landis directed American Werewolf in London added an unexpected empathetic realism to the ‘movie monster” genre. His work on Michael Jackson’s Thriller balanced fright with a touch of camp, while his creature design work in the cantina scene in the original star wars may be one of the most watched scenes in science fiction.
Rick Baker originally wanted to be a doctor, but this “monster kid” turned industry icon has always had a personal interest in painting. And now, the retired special effect master gets his chance to delve into the monstrous world he loves to inhabit, one on one. We had a chance to discuss Baker’s first solo show at Copro Gallery in Santa Monica and tried our very least to have him pay for a few therapy bills.
You typically work on the special effects/production side of a film, where your work brings a script to life, or “plusses” the narrative or feeling of film in various ways. But with these paintings, it’s all you, from start to finish. How personal are you willing to get with your fine art work?
Well, it all started out with me just wanting to push some paint around. I just finished months of work for my family Halloween, and wanted to do something different.I’ve been painting since I was a kid. I tried to get good at almost photographic paintings figuring that it would be helpful to convey my design ideas to producers and directors. Now I just wanted to have fun with paint and loosen up my painting style. To answer your question: yes, it did get kind of personal a lot of the paintings dealt with my mortality.
Yes, at my age death has become very real and looming.
(Above: Baker at his show at Copro Gallery)
You have had a full and successful career as a special effects wizard/icon in the horror film world. Would you say that any of the skills and techniques you learned during your career contribute to your work as a fine art painter?
Yes, as did the sixty plus years that I have been drawing ,painting, and sculpting. I entertain myself by making things and I feel that if I don’t do something creative in a day I have wasted that day. And you tend to learn more the more you do.
Let’s discuss your painting “Ned Farious”. It appears to be a portrait of brow-beaten man with a slight resemblance to Tom Waits or a pre-bald George “the Animal” Steel of Wrestling fame. You seem to have captured a many who has seen a lot; a disheveled guy comfortable in the shadows, yet right before the moment where he lounges out at the viewer, or exposes his true “hyde-ness”. Am I missing the mark completely?
Yes, it wasn’t that deep. I just like interesting craggy faces.
Is the end result of a painting (satisfaction or otherwise) different for you than the completion of a prop/scene in a production?
Similar, but the big difference is painting I do by myself. My film work, with the exception of my really early film work, was not totally my work but that of myself and my crew.
Let’s lighten things up a bit and talk about death… it seems to be a theme in your painting, along with characters/creatures which the general populace may deem to be “monsters”… Would you agree?
Yes, at my age death has become very real and looming. Hence the title of one of my paintings Lou Ming an old bearded man with long white hair with death over his shoulder.
I feel that if I don’t do something creative in a day I have wasted that day.
Yes, I suppose I’m responsible for a lot of childhood traumas…
(Above: Popeye 3-D print digitally sculpted by Rick Baker in Z brush, Halloween costumes for Rick Baker‘s daughters latex masks sculpted traditionally by Rick Baker/Costumes by Rick and Silvia Baker, “Thorn”, acrylic on canvas and “Max IlLa”, acrylic on canvas)
Do you feel a sense of loss when the paintings leave your studio or are you happy that they find new homes with their new victims/patrons?
This is the first time that I have sold my originals . I have given paintings to friends before but to be honest I don’t have any wall space left so I figured it would be better to have them in someone else’s house than stacked up in a back room of my studio.
I wasn’t planning on have a show I just was having fun painting and it got out of control. I did about twenty five paintings. And they were all over the place and when I was asked from Copro if I would be interested in having a show it was kind of a no brainer.
Ok, now is the part of the interview where I blame you for my childhood traumas, namely a creature called Cow Man. You created the SFX for The Tobe Hooper directed Fun House movie a picture of Cow Man, one of the hideous mutant monsters in the film graced the cover of Fangoria magazine and was proudly displayed on my older brother’s wall above his bed. We shared a room, so every morning, the first thing that I saw was Cow Man and that Zombie cover with the eye worms. So, where should I send you the invoice for the years of trauma therapy?
Yes, I suppose I’m responsible for a lot of childhood traumas. The cow man as you call him started out based on a real deformed man. But I felt it was not right to make this guy’s deformation a monster so I styled him a bit. Made him more extreme .
I hear rumor that there will be a special guest at your showing; a pipe smoking vegetable addict with vision problems… Can you tell us a little bit about him?
Ah yes, my Popeye. I did him many years ago while I was beta testing the first version of zbrush with sub tools. He started out as a portrait of my father and continued to mutate into this old Popeye character . When I got my first 3D printer I printed a little version of him and then years later this one to one . There will be other special guest too. Nosferatu, Bela Lugosi’s Dracula, Frankenstein’s monster and many more.
Will he be working security and do you pay him in canned spinach?
Well he doesn’t have any arms or a body so he is no good for security and once I sat him on his pedestal he can’t move so I figured I didn’t need to feed him.
See more of the Rick Baker – The Good, Bad & Ugly (mostly ugly) show at Copro Gallery in person or online here.
(Below: More paintings from the show at Copro Gallery)
